Residents of Bala Buluk district in the western province of Farah say worsening water shortages have left many families without reliable access to drinking water, as prolonged drought and declining groundwater levels dry up traditional water sources.
The residents said they often wait for hours to collect small amounts of water to meet their daily needs.
In Deh Naw village, residents said a single water tap now serves dozens of households.
“There is water, but not enough to meet everyone’s needs,” said Abdul Halim, a resident of Bala Buluk. “We have only one water tap, and dozens of families are waiting to use it. There are too few solar-powered pumps, so we cannot get enough water.”
Other residents said the district’s karez irrigation systems and natural springs, once the main sources of water for local communities, have largely dried up.
“We have no water,” said Ghulam Farooq, another resident. “The springs have dried up, the rivers have dried up and the karez systems are gone. The drought has become very severe, and there is no water source left.”
Residents said they are now forced to ration the limited water that remains.
“We collect water drop by drop,” said Abdul Azim, a resident of the district. “There is only a small water reservoir here, and it provides just a few barrels of water each day. Our problems are many.”
Bala Buluk, an agricultural district in Farah Province, has been hit hard by years of below-average rainfall, prolonged drought and falling groundwater levels. Residents say the loss of springs and underground canals has affected not only access to drinking water but also farming and livestock, threatening livelihoods across the district.
Afghanistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing little to global greenhouse gas emissions. The United Nations has warned that recurring droughts, declining groundwater reserves and increasingly erratic weather are intensifying water insecurity across much of the country, particularly in rural communities that depend on agriculture.
